The invention relates to a cup-supplying apparatus, and more particularly, to a cup-supplying apparatus with improved interchangeability and operation accuracy of a cup dispenser separating each cup from a stack of cups so as to be supplied.
A conventional cup-type automatic beverage vendor is provided with a cup-supplying apparatus in which cups in different sizes are stored in a plurality of stacks each having cups of the same size stacked. When a cup of some beverage is demanded, a cup of the demanded beverage is separated from the corresponding stack by a cup-supplying unit and supplied to a cup-serving stage within the serving outlet.
FIG. 1 shows a cup separation unit in a conventional automatic vendor of cup-serving type. Cup separation unit 5 is provided with cup dispensers 5A, 5B and 5C for dispensing cup 8 in accordance with rotation of top 51 having screw-shaped periphery, these cup dispensers being provided respectively for cupsizes xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cMxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d, lever 52 fixed integrally to a ring which drives top 51 to rotate (to be mentioned later), driving motors 22A, 22B and 22C for driving lever 52, torque transmitting members 20A, 20B and 20C transmitting torque of driving motors 22A, 22B and 22C, respectively, to rotating member 55, and communicating member 54 for communicating lever 52 with rotating member 55 by way of link pin 53. The rotation of rotating member 55 generated by rotation of driving motors 22A, 22B and 22C is converted by eccentric rotation unit 55a to a reciprocating motion, which is transmitted to lever 52.
FIG. 2 shows top 51. Ring 52A is rotated in the direction Axe2x80x2 by shifting in the direction A of communicating member 54 communicated through link pin 53 with lever 52 which is fixed to ring 52A. Ring 52A is provided, on its inner surface, with ring gear 52B engaged with gear 51A fixed on the axis of top 51. The rotation of ring 52A in the direction Axe2x80x2 allows top 51 to rotate in the direction of r1. When communicating member 54 shifts in the direction B, ring 52A rotates in the direction Bxe2x80x2 so as to rotate top 51 in the direction of r2. The rotation of top 51 in the direction of r1 causes a stack of cups 8 (not shown) to fall by one step down the spiral portion. The rotation of top 51 in the direction of r1 interposes the spiral portion between rim 8A of a cup 8 in the lowest position of the stack and rim 8 of another cup in next to the lowest position so as to cause the lowest cup 8 to fall off the stack.
In such a conventional cup-supplying apparatus, however, changing a cup dispenser (such as 5A) for changing, for example, cup size, requires the diameter of the ring (52A) and thus, the rotating angle of the lever (52), to be changed so that the communicating member (54) has to be changed to one suited to the rotating angle of the lever.
This results in the necessity of preparing a multitude of parts such as communicating members in accordance with varied cup sizes. Moreover, a plurality of driving motors are required for operating respective cup dispensers in the conventional cup-supplying apparatus.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a cup-supplying apparatus free from the necessity of preparing a multiplicity of parts for varied cup sizes, thus permitting reduction of parts in number and advancing standardization of parts, thereby making parts-management more easy and decreasing costs for manufacturing and maintenance.
It is further object of the invention to provide a cup-supplying apparatus in which cup dispensers can be easily changed according to variation of cup size by a simple job and costs can be decreased.
According to the first feature of the invention, A cup-supplying apparatus for supplying tapered cylindrical cups stored in a stack, comprising:
a plurality of cup dispensers, each of which supplies a lowest cup from stacked cups to a predetermined position;
a unit for generating a cup-supplying force;
a plurality of members, each of which transmits said cup-supplying force to a corresponding one of said plurality of cup dispensers; and
means for selecting one member from said plurality of members to be supplied with said cup-supplying force from said cup-supplying force generating-unit;
wherein said cup-supplying force generating-unit generates said cup-supplying force which is then transmitted to said one member selected by said selecting means, so that said corresponding one among said plurality of cup dispensers supplies said lowest cup to said predetermined position.
According to the second feature of invention, a cup-supplying apparatus for supplying tapered cylindrical cups stored in a stack comprises:
a rotatable ring member having inside thereof a circular inner portion for supporting the stack of cups, the member being capable of rotating around an axis, diameter of the inner portion being varied in accordance with rotating of the member within a range predetermined according to the diameter of tapered cylindrical cups;
means for separating a tapered cylindrical cup in lowest position in the stack from others stored in the stack and allowing the tapered cylindrical cup in the lowest position to drop, according to rotating of the rotatable ring member;
means for rotating the rotatable ring member, including a lever attached to and rotatable together with the rotatable ring member around the axis of rotating thereof and a pin fixed to the lever in rotatable end portion thereof;
a reciprocally-moving member capable of reciprocal movement in a first direction and in a second direction with a predetermined stroke, being driven by a driving force supplied by a source thereof; and
movement-transmitting means for transmitting the reciprocal movement of the reciprocally-moving member to the rotatable ring member to cause the rotatable ring member to rotate clockwise and anti-clockwise,
the movement-transmitting means comprising pin-engaging means for engaging the pin with the reciprocally-moving member, whereby the reciprocally-moving member is engaged with the means for rotating the rotatable ring member by way of the pin fixed to the lever and the pin-engaging means, wherein:
the pin-engaging means comprises range-varying means which allows the range of rotating of the lever corresponding to the predetermined stroke of the reciprocal movement of the reciprocally-moving member transmitting means to be varied, whereby the range of rotating of the rotatable ring member being determined by the range-varying means.
It is preferred that the pin-engaging means includes a fork member having a recess in distal end portion. The fork member preferably comprises a first recess for accepting the pin with a first margin and a second recess for accepting the pin with a second margin broader than the first margin, whereby the first recess allows the lever having the pin to rotate within a first range and the second recess allows the lever to rotate within a second range smaller than the first range, either according to the predetermined stroke of reciprocally-moving member. It is preferred that the first recess is formed adjacent to bottom portion of the second recess. The rotatable ring member, the means for separating a tapered cylindrical cup and the means for rotating the rotatable ring member may be integrated in a unit.
The cup-supplying apparatus may comprise a plurality of the units, a plurality of the reciprocally-moving member and a plurality of the movement-transmitting means, equal in numbers, wherein the reciprocally-moving members are driven by a source in common. Then, the reciprocally-moving members may be conjugated, being permitted to move independently. Preferably, the movement-transmitting means each comprise pin-engaging means in the same form, respectively, and the pin-engaging means are connected respectively with the reciprocally-moving members conjugated to be capable of moving independently.
The reciprocally-moving member may include a rotating motor as the source of driving force and a cam unit for converting rotation of the rotating motor to reciprocal movement to be transmitted to the reciprocally-moving member. Then, the reciprocally-moving member preferably comprises means for preventing the cam unit from accidental discontinuing of the transmission of movement.